phaelon56

I recently tried a beef base and also a chicken base product that was remarkably good for a shortcut. I had previously tried some paste style products similar to what is used in some commercial kitchens and found it to be better than granules or cubes but still lacking. The new product is called "Better Than Bouillon". It comes in a small jar in sort of a grainy gel consistency. Flavor is far superior to what I've tried in other products and the chicken seems to be just as good as the beef. I bought mine at a Wegman's in Syracuse NY when I was visiting there but their stock was intermittent - they rarely had both chicken and beef in stock. Here's a link to Stores that stock "Better Than Bouillon" It also appears to be available through a variey of online retailers.

I rarely throw out food but when I do it's most often something like a half-bunch of lettuce or some carrots or potatoes that have gotten too far along. I live alone and cook intermittently but when I do so it's just for myself. I was raised by depression era parents who were not poor by the standards of that era but wasting food was tantamount to sin (that's satying something a Catholic family!). I routinely freeze leftovers by putting various portions together in one small container as a meal sized unit. ON the many days when I dont' feel like cooking ro going out, it gets thawed in the microwave and heated up as a meal. Also.... apart from trips to ethnic restaurants where portion size may be small enough that I can eat the whole dinner.... I make a practice of bringing home half of my entree and some of the side dish. I freeze it immediately when getting home and a few weeks or a month later it makes a great impromptu lunch or dinner.

I'm in agreement that from a technical and theoretical standpoint the deterioration process does occur but from a taste standpoint.... among the community of coffee enthusiasts there seems ot be mixed opion but most folks appear to agree that the change is not noticeable. One of the hallmarks of a fresh roast is the coffee's ability to develop good crema in a properly pulled expresso. I have whole beans in vacuum packed bags that produce thick and dense crema in sufficient quantity after being frozen for months. Just as I do in many instances use frozen meat or seafood for reasons of convenience, I do so with coffee. Refrigerating coffee is a different issue. There seems ot be universal agreement that this is a bad practice because it introduces moisture to the container and the beans or grounds every time the package is opened. If buying preroasted beans you're far better off to divide them into small ziplocs with the air squeezed out or small jars that are filled. Freeze and then take out one package at a time, allowing it to thaw and come to room temp over the course of a few hours before opening. Once open, just keep it in a cool, dry and dark place like the cipboard until it's used up. The opening, closing and reopening of a refrigerated container continues to initroduce moisture and that's the real flavor killer. I was skeptical of this but have to admit that my coffee seems a tad better when I store the beans at room temp in a selaed container and then grind just before brewing. Try using the freezer method with the Peet's or the stuff you get in London - you'll be pleasantly surprised at the results.

I have eaten at Marisqueira on two or three occasions and it's my favorite of all Newark restaurants - still hoping to hear feedback from others as there were so many dishes I wanted to try but couldn't as I was not wiht a group. Meson Madrid in Palisades Park - a forum regular reported having a medicore meal and the worst service he's ever received at this place. He acknowledges that it was a few years ago but caveat emptor (the name was not identified in the forum but I did get this info via email in an offline exchange). Iberia and Iberia Perninsula are two different restaurants but said to be the same owner/family. I like the atmosphere at Iberia better but on the one occasion I ate at Peninsula the food seemed a tad better. It's probably all in my mind like most everything else....

The Diedrich family has been in the coffee roasting business for three generations and manufactures a well known line of commercial roasting equipment. Here's their take on freezing coffee (I should mention that I still do it anyway because for me the importance of the subtle flavor components lost is outweighed by the convenience of having reasonaby fresh coffee at hand within a few hours by thawing out a package....

Weird but tastes good (although I don't eat it with a dollop of mayo as some folks do).... a holiday jello consiting of lime and lemon jello, chopped walnuts, crushed pineapple, finely chopped celery and chopped green olives with pimentos. Bizarre but actually an intriguing combination if you can tolerate jello. Off topic but not by much was a customer I had when tending bar years ago. It was a limiited menu service bar - when she ordered a Kahlua and creamm and was advised that we did not have milk drinks she switched to "the next best thing" - Jack Daniels and cranberry juice!

A life (or some portion of it) spent focusing on something that brings joy to you and others could bever be thought of as shallow by any definition of the word. Thanks for sharing.

Us yoyur favorite prep method and ingredients but then get a smalll brown paper lunch bag and pack the meatloaf mix into it, forming a loaf and folding the bag und before placing it in a baking dish (pyrex or glass is fine). The paper absorbs the grease but also seals in moisture in the way that cooking en papillote does. It looks a bit bizarre when the cooking is finished but this has made the best meatloaf I've ever eaten.

Lately I have been served salads that havce a fruit accent. It has ranged from fresh raspberries to citrus to the dried sweetened cranberries that are now so readily available. If using raisins, currants or any other dried fruits just let them soak in a small amount of white wine or cranberry juice overnight ebfore ading to the salad and they plump up beautifully. The contrast of the fruit's sweetness with a good vinegar in the dressing is wonderful.

I forgot to mention that I will take a further step in the process of ruining myself (i.e. making it impossible to return to simpler, less time-consuming procedures) this coming week when I start experimenting with home roasting. The good news is that green beans are way cheaper than pre-roasted and will store forever and a day in a plain old paper sack in the cupboard (okay.... so maybe it's only a year but it seems like a long time). Not sure if I fully addressed the issue in my previous reply but IMO you can make a really good cup of coffee with an auto drip maker. The Melitta or Chemex method is a tad better. I don't have a French Press and altough people seem to love them, for my particular and personal taste the coffee is almost overly robust. This may be due to the greater concentration of oils that aren't trapped by a paper filter or it might be just that on the few occasions when I've had French Press coffee it was made with a bit too much coffee or ground a bit finer than it should have been. I have yet to try vacuum brewed but people rave about it as the best of all possible prep methods. The reality for me is that convenience, time and counter space are all issues - I continue to always look for the best possible combination of quality vs. convenience.

Yes there has been and will continue to be debate about the merits or shortcomings of freezing coffee for long term storage. As with any food product, it seems reasonable to assume that after 6 - 12 months of freezer storage there is deterioration that will set in. Exposure to oxygen appears to be the big culprit with coffee deterioration but I'm convinced that if one uses small sealed packages and puts them inside another airtight burpable container you can avoid oxygen and moisture accumulating in/on the surface of the beans and causing problems. For years I bought two pound bags of pre-roasted whole bean French Roast at BJ's Wholesale club and simply stored the opened bag in the freezer. I would roll the top down and wrap it inside another bag, opening it only long enough to take out a few cups of beans at a time to fill the grinder. Allowing several hours for them to totally thaw I consistently got quality drip coffee for months untitl the contents of the bag were exhausted. More recently I've been into espresso and happened onto a great deal on the Perugia blend from Torrefazione Italia. I got half pound pre-sealed bags that have the one way valve. I throw these direct into the freezer and use them one at a time with great results. Refrigerating coffee is said to be not such a good idea and I can understand why. Perhaps my ability to detect subtle flavor components is simply inadequate but the coffee I produced on a $10 drip maker with BJ's club beans was consisitently better than any cup of coffee I've ever gotten in a restaurant with one exception. There was a small northern italian restaurant in Ithaca NY when I was living there in the early 90's (Giovanni's Osteria Paisano) that made an incredible cup of coffee - I assume that they used a pressurized system as it took 5 - 8 minutes for the coffee to arrive after ordering it and there were traces of espresso like crema on the surface. It was absolutely incredible (as was their rabbit stew) - I only wish I could get coffee that good at a restaurant in NYC. I've eaten at only a few "nicer" restaurants in NYC (Danube, L'Ecole and Tribeca Grill) and never had a really satisfying cup at any of them. When you get right down to it a French Press or Melitta will make a better cup than an auto drip maker but there's something to be said for convenience.

I ate at Casa Vasca last fall and although I enjoyed it, especially the garlic soup (which had me reeking for a day or so!), I like Marqueseria better. One of my dining partners had the garlic shrimp and it was the same back then - the shrimp were medium to small in size and seemed to be failry average frozen shrimp but the garlic sauce was pungent and wonderful. I had the seafood paella Valenciana. It was adequate but I think Iberia does a better job with this dish. I also found the shrimp to be far superior at Iberia. There were fare fewer of them but they were excellent texture and taste and nicely butterflied before grilling. Casa Vasca had better atmosphere than Iberia or Marquisertia (white linen tablecloths etc.) but I still think Marquiseria has better food. I have yet to talk to or hear from anyone else who's been there and would love to get some other opinions.

www.coffeegeek.com is unquestionably the best place to get info. As for leaving the grounds in the basket overnight and having the machine auto-start? If you have a machien that automatically grinds the beans into the filter for you just before it starts brewing I'd consider this acceptable. Not sure if there are any machines in this category that are priced realistically and also perform well. The reality is that roasted beans begin to lose their freshness a few days after roasting. Being in an airtight container slows down the process but being exposed to air unquestionably hastens it. Once the coffee is ground, even from the freshest beans, it gets stale very quickly. Espresso purists (and even folks like me who aren't fanatical but want to make the best possible coffee drinks), grind the beans for each drink and do it just before brewing. I realize it's less conveneient but a decent grinder and fresh roasted beans will produce a quantum leap in the quality of your coffee at home even when used with a cheap drip maker. My drip maker is a $10 Proctor-Silex from Wal-Mart. Friends who visit are amazed at how good my coffee is and it's only because I use good beans and grind them fresh. I don't have the luxury of stopping by a local roaster regularly so I buy good quality whole lbeans that I know are fresh and seal them in smaller amounts in ziploc's, then store the container int he freezer. I take a bag at a time and let it thaw for several hours before I out it in my little airtight countertop canister. It's worth the trouble.

The weird thing about Tiger Tail ice cream is that it sounds so icky and tastes so good. I'm not a fan of licorice and never go out of my way to consume it for any reason. In this combination it's delicious (of course I was ten years old at the time.... it's possible that I'd re-evaluate if I tried it again).

My GF has eaten at Mignon but they just shared a bunch of appetizers as no one was especially hungry. I've been meaning to try it as it's a short walk from my house but just haven't gotten around to it. Entrees tend to be in the $22-30 range and everything is a la carted - most salads are $6-8 and sides (potato, vegetable etc) are $5 each. IMHO a bit pricey considering the waitstaff is of the typically pleasant and well meaning but fairly green 18-22 year old category. The owner also owns Village Gourmet, just up the block. They bumped up the number of tables int he room a month or so before opening and it looks very crowded to me. I regret that I can't comment on the quality of the beef but it looks a bit too casual and crammed in to me for the prices.

I shop on occasion at the Shop-Rite in Lyndurst NJ and they never seem to put out samples of anything, hotdogs or otherwise. It appears that they don't think taking the time or space is worth it (or they haven't pushed the vendors to subsidize it). Not sure if they carry them at the Wegman's in Bridgewater NJ (Princeton area) but all Wegman's in central NY state carry Hoffman's brand hot dogs and coneys (white hots). Theirs is a pork, veal and who knows what mixture but is incredibly good. They are old-line German susage makers who've been making the3se the same way in their Syracuse NY plant for about 100 years or so. Worth trying if you're a hotdog aficionado (I am not).

Which brings me back, as always, to the favorite ice cream of my youth. It was sold by Neilson's in Canada at some of their roadside stands. It consisted of orange sherbet, vanilla ice cream and black licorice ice cream all swirled together. It was called Tiger Tail and despite the seemingly bizarre combination was incredibly tasty. Have never seen it anywhere since then (which was the late 60's).

Tommy.... are they just nasty or are they sufficiently disgusting? Inquiring minds want to know.... I believe these would be the same Dippin' Dots they have at one of my favorite annual culinary mecca's - the New York State Fair held late August in Syracuse NY (my hometown). This bizarre concotion has been there for many years with the questionable moniker "The Ice Cream of the Future". They've been selling it for at least ten years, which begs the question..;. eaxactly when is the future?

For me that would be eating but no one seems willing to give me a good grade or any recognition for it (other than my Cuban girlfriend's mother who is ecstatic when she sees a man eat extra helpings of her cooking)

I haven't tried Epernay but intend toi as Rosie speaks so highly of it. My comments on 77 Walnut should speak for themselves - it's not haute cuisine but IMHO is a good value. Rail Paul - when we ate there this past Friday there were only three other parties in the restaurant for a total (including us) of about ten people. I'm pretty tolerant of relaxed service but they really need to tighten thigns up. I can't imagine what it would be like if it got busy. On the two occasions that i've been it's awlays been with a party of two and the waiter always has to ask who gets which dish when he gets to the table. Between that and the missing salads, I think they need a l,ittle work but I like this place and the people are really nice - we will give it a few more tries before decinding whether to make it a regular stop or not. Steve - I'm not questioning your sister-in-law's taste or judgement but the original poster more or less asked for a list of places folks had tried and said she was game for almost anything. It appears that people are complying with that request even if not all the places mentioned have top notch food. I happen to agree with her that Deja Vu is good and Blue Sky is overrated but the truly amateurish service at Deja Vu prevents me from returning.

I skimmed the Atkins book at one time and actually read most of Protein Power. I was skeptial at best until a co-worker who I trusted and respected told me of his epxeriences with such an eating regimine. I tried it and by the 4th or 5th day was feelign so faint, fatigued and overall horrible that I scuttled the whole thing. Fast forward a year or two.... I'm finally back up in the 245 lb range (at 6' 1 1/2") and although friends and coworkers don't think I look heavy (I'm one of those rare people who can carry that kind of weight and look "average" in size), I feel the burden of the weight and don't wish to invest in new clothes. This was late May 2002. I was embaring on a ten day trip to Belize that turned out to be very physically active and there was little in the way of junky food or snacks readily available. I ate a healthy diet, lost a few punds and decided upon my return to try something that would work for ME. Here's what I'm doing: Breakfast: an iced latte with non-fat milk or a regular latte with 1% (both are the large size). A bowl of fruit salad - I make my own with whatever fruit looks good and tastes good. I don't give a hoot what Atkins or anyone else says about carb content of fruit types. I typically use strawberries, blueberries, cantalope. watermelon, oranges, nectarines, plums and occasionally peaches and apples. Make a giant bowl once every 5-6 days and throw in a bit of cranberry juice to help the flavors meld. Sometimes I mix the fruit salad with some non-fat yogurt (unflavored - the Stonyfield farms brand is really good - very rich and creamy). If I'm in a hurry I sub a Powerbar for the fruit salad. It's the only protein bar product I've tried that tastes okay and isn't just a candy bar in disguise Lunch: a bowl of non-cream based soup and a piece of fruit or at work I bring sliced turkey, ham or roast beef and just roll up slices of it to eat along with some more fruit salad. I also keep a bag of baby carrots around to munch on. Dinner: usually chicken, fish or beef - prepared in whatever way is tasty but I try to avoid butter or cream heavy sauces. A decent size hunk of meat with a veggie or a small salad and a small portion of starch like rice, potato or cous-cous. A bit later in the evenign I'll have something like an Italian ice as a snack/dessert. The keys for me are these: I eat things that I like and taste good. I dine out usually twice per week and have a slice or two of bread at that meal. I get whatever I want when dining out and ALWAYS cut my entree in hal;f and bring home the uneaten half for the freezer - it serves as a dinner meat portion the following week. I never allow myself to walk around feeling hungry, on occasion I splurge and have a really nice dessert out somewhere. Once in a rare while I grab a slice of pizza but it's rare. If I feel like I'm lacking energy I start eating a bit more. I try to keep something moderately healthy around to snack on, such as toasted soy nuts or wasabi peas. What I gave up: ordering sausage and onion pizza once a week from my favorite pizzeria (with gloppy whole milk mozzarella), a large (I mean really large) bowl of low fat ice cream or frozen yogurt almost every night, snack crackers, pretzels, chips, fried foods in general, cookies, cakes and rolls, large portions of rice or potatoes at lunch and/or dinner, home fries, topast and bagels/buns for breakfast.... What I gained: after a few weeks of stringent eating (almost no bread, potatoes or rice and no fried foods but penty of fruits and lean meats), I began to feel full wiht less food and my craqvings for the stuff that porks me out started to wane. Miraculously enough I also lost my sweet tooth to some extent. It hasn't disappeared and I still love desserts but I no longer have that craving that can can only be satisfied by a quick Snickers Bar or some such thing. I have gotten a better appreciation for the meats and fruits (and some veggies). Is it working? I started "healthier" eating in late May and started my current mode of eating around early June. My weight has gone from 245 lbs to 215 and my rate of loss hasnow gone to one pound per week rather than two. I managed to take a ten day vacation and not gain any weight, I continue to enjoy what I eat and my cholesterol has stayed the same (at 220 it needs to come down but hopefully exercise will effect that). I did NOT adopt the Atkins policy of eating anything and everything regardless of fat content. I avoid fatty meats such as pork sausage and bacon, limit my use of butter and cheese and try to eat nuts sparingly. I believe in balance in my eating and more importantly that I should eat what I like within reason. I have not yet counted calories but have found this eating regimine to be so effective that at one point I was actually falling BELOW the daily caloric count I need for my body to function. This is not healthy and I quickly discovered it because my energy began flagging. The reason I mention this is that I was NOT feeling excessively hungry - evidence that eating the right way can satisfy our needs and our taste buds.

It wasn't at someone's home but I think it qualifies. ONe of my more eccentric cousins decided to marry his longtime GF when they were both in their 40's. They were a bit reclusive and none of us outside his siblings knew them well. The reception was in the Universalist Church basement. The bride and her mother had prepared all of the food for the reception and it was MACROBIOTIC. It may well be that there's such a thing as tasty macrobiotic food but this was the nightmare dreck of predominately raw, entirely unprocessed ingredients that was prepared with absolutely no herbs, spices, sweeteners etc. Most horrifying were the brownies - the only dish that resembled normal food in appearance but in taste resembled driveway patching compound. Bright note: they actually served REAL coffee!!! Go figure....

Do make the trip to Little Saigon in Nutley - it's worth the effort. Also make reservations in advance - they're always crowded. I've tried Deja Vu (Thai-French) in Montclair and liked it (a trifle pricey for what you get but excellent food), The service, however, was comically bad and inattentive. 77 Walnut is good - the chef worked there on weekends for a few years and just took over full time. We went for the second time last night and were once again very pleased and feel that it's a good value. Rather than wlaking across grove to Marzullo's for dessert we decided to share a creme brulee from the dessert tray at 77 and it was abominable - the worst I've ever seen (think of something with a consitency between scrambled eggs and watery cottage cheese and you'll be close). One bite each and when we brought it to the waiter's attention it was removed from the bill with no questions asked. They also forgot to serve the small salad that is included with entrees (it's definitely included and we recieved it on our first trip). This place is good but the service need some polish and organization - they need someone savvy to ride herd on front of house. I had brunch at Blue Sky and felt it was overpiced (but in their defense I feel that way about almost any brunch that's over $20) but it was good. Dinner menu looks very very interesting. Across from Blue Sky and next to Deja Vu is Satish Palace, an Indian joint. My GF is a foodie (I am not) and also lived in in India for three months a few short years ago. She rates Satish very highly and I liked it too.

Seabra's Marquiseria. It's a very smalll place on a sides treet off of Ferry a few blocks past Iberia. Specializes in fresh seafoood and it's awesome. Be prepared to do some pointing on the menu - none of the waiters I've had could speak English. They have an incredible garlicky seafodd puree soup and sometimes on weekends also have roast suckling pig and a special. It may be a Seabra's but it's not a big heavily commerical operation like some of their other operations - it's small and very much a neighborhood place.

Glad to see another positive report and the fact that it's a new chef explains the improvement from past experiences of other folks. I just thawed out some of the leftover tortellini yesterday and it was still tasty. I will return. About sharing charges... it should properly be callled a "plating charge" and if done properly, the kitchen will actually split the entree and serve it on two separate plates as half portions each with its own sides. If my dining partner orders just a couple appetizers as her dinner, I have soup and entree and she nibbles at my entree trying bits of it - I would be offended at a plating/sharing charge. How about the horror story I read in a travel forum (it appeared to be true) of a woman who only had soup at the Stage Deli and her husband had the huge (and hugely expensive at $14) Reuben. She tried "a bite" (her words and she insisted that it was just one bite) of hubby's sandwich and was charged a $7 sharing charge!!! If it's truly unreasonable I'll go elsehere. I was going to try Makeda in New Brunswick a few weeks ago (an Ethiopian restaurant). I was a bit put off by the fact that their prices are literally double what other Ethiopian restaurants charge and then when I spotted the "$7 sharing charge".... enough was enough. I took my $$ elsewhere.